Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit

Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit - THE Affirmative Re positioning movement says it will mobilise more than 1 000 young people to petition for an upper age limit for future presidential candidates this is to enhace better performance so they said.

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AR leader Job Amupanda told the media on Monday that while the Namibian Constitution dictates that one must be over 36 years of age to become President, it does not stipulate an upper age limit and even allows for someone who is 100 years old to contest for the presidency. The AR proposal calls for a cut-off at 75 years of age.

Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit

“If it is good to have a minimum age, it also means that you should have a maximum age,” he stressed.

President Hage Geingob will be turning 76 in August.

“We understand that somebody must be mature to be President but we also seek to engage and mobilse society to understand that after 60 the brain starts slowing down biologically,” he said. He also argued that the Public Service Act states that a person must retire at 60 years.“Why is it that some people retire at 60 and others start their careers at 70?” he questioned.

Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit

Amupanda explained that even if the movement does not succeed in changing the Constitution on the presidential age limit issue, it would mobilise the youth not to vote for a candidate who is over 75 in future.

He said that the age limit of the President would be one of the many proposals discussed during a planned gathering, a so-called “generational assembly” around a “national youth manifesto”, on 16 and 17 June 2017 to be attended by youth from all 14 regions.

The event is expected to attract 100 youth organisations to formulate and adopt the resolution, amongst others.

Amupanda also said the gathering would discuss the political, economic and social transformation of the country.

Some of the proposals include minimum educational criteria to become a Cabinet minister.

“Our country has implemented free primary and secondary education, so Cabinet should not be a platform for illiterate and semi-illiterate (sic) individuals. We, therefore, propose that in order for one to serve in Cabinet one should have a degree at least,” he said.

Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit

He also said there was need for minimum educational requirements for members of parliament, and regional and local authority councils.

“One must have a diploma in order to be an MP. We have two universities, but we still continue to have MPs who cannot read and write,” Amupanda alleges.

Other AR proposals include linking youth development to economic development, through the establishment of youth entrepreneurship hubs in all constituencies, as well as sending young people to be educated all over the world, and making textbooks affordable for tertiary students.

The movement called for a single digit interest rate for first-time home buyers and the establishment of a building society.

Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit

“It is also proposed that the decision whether to prosecute a suspect or not should be taken by a committee as opposed to the current situation where this decision is taken by one person – the prosecutor general,” he said.

Chairperson of the national preparatory committee of the ‘generational assembly’ Dimbulukeni Nauyoma said given the many challenges facing the youth, it had become necessary for the movement to engage in what it called ‘generational agenda setting’.

Travel News: Namibia Group Proposes Presidential Age Limit

“The national youth agenda has been involved in a horrific accident and is presently in ICU. Given this horrific accident that has paralysed the national youth agenda, there is need to formulate, adopt and popularise the new national youth agenda,” he said.